Passengers missing early buses: AG report

METRO'S bus services do not meet its own timetable standards, a report tabled in Parliament this morning by the state's Auditor-General Mike Blake says.

Mr Blake said while only 10 per cent of Metro bus departures were late - well inside Metro's 15 per cent benchmark - almost 13 per cent ran more than three minutes early.

This means passengers who arrive less than three minutes before a scheduled departure will miss one in eight buses.

Responding to the recommendation that departure times were tightened to no more than a minute before the scheduled departure, Metro's chief executive Heather Haselgrove said it was unrealistic to expect a bus to run to schedule at every bus stop.

``Predicting when a car will reach its destination is difficult enough without having to stop every 500 metres, pick up and set down an unknown number of passengers at those stops and deal with varying traffic and weather conditions,'' she said.

However, Ms Haselgrove said the company agreed it could increase the number of bus stops across the state featuring ``not before'' departure times.

Overall, the report found customers rated Metro's services as comfortable and safe, drivers were helpful to elderly passengers and those with a physical disability, and drivers were confident dealing with unpleasant passengers.